Off the beaten track

From niche restaurants and paper art, to relationship helplines and music classes, interesting concepts coupled with hard work have helped these ten entrepreneurs reach the top of their game. Sonali Acharjee discovers the real story behind their big idea.

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Sonali Acharjee

November 30, 1999

ISSUE DATE: January 13, 2014

UPDATED: January 27, 2014 17:07 IST

1) Suchita Salwan, Little Black BookWhile pursuing her BA (economics) from Hindu College in Delhi, Salwan started working in the creative department of Wizcraft, which was organising the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in India. Soon afterwards, she spent a few months handling marketing and public relations for BBC India. While working with BBC, she decided to start her own blog that would celebrate life in Delhi. "I was tired of hearing people criticise the city. It might not be the perfect place but there are still so many great things about Delhi and its people. I wanted to highlight those aspects," says Salwan. She began the blog, Little Black Book and it grew into a company as the popularity increased. "I think people relate to our posts because they are bottom-up; real life experiences of people exploring the city. From niche restaurants to music festivals to a daily Delhi event guide, we blog about everything," adds Salwan.

Today Little Black Book has gone beyond the limits of Delhi and viewers can access posts on other Indian cities as well such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Pushkar, Kathmandu, Jaipur, Andamans, Hampi, Puducherry and Chennai to name a few. Posts and reviews are no longer done by Salwan alone. "I do have other writers contributing to the blog now. The experience of starting my own company has been phenomenal. Unlike a day job, you can learn 50 times more in an enterprise of your own. You are literally thrown into the deep end of the sea and you either swim or sink. Start-ups also teach you how to manage expectations and focus on your core strengths. It's a transformative experience. I couldn't have imagined a better or more fulfilling work experience," says Salwan.

2) Kiran Roy, Guitar HallWhen Roy started playing the guitar at the age of 13, little did he know that he would be one day run a chain of 20 music training schools. His journey as an entrepreneur began during his days as a student of electrical engineering in Mumbai. Realising he wasn't cut out for the profession, Roy decided to teach music at homes to earn a living instead. "I taught for as little as Rs 200 a month to make ends meet at times.

The money did not affect me much but I was shocked at the way some families would behave with music teachers. I gave up on home tuitions and began running professional classes at my own house," says Roy. He went on to open the first branch of Guitar Hall in Chembur in 1998. Roy has come a long way since then. Today Guitar Hall offers 24 different courses in music ranging from rock guitar and keyboard to drums and harmonica. "Together we have over 6,500 students enrolled in all 20 schools at present. The response has been wonderful," adds Roy.

3)Vijay Abhimanyu, Billion Smiles HospitalityA second generation entrepreneur, Abhimanyu co-founded Billion Smiles Hospitality with his father when he was just 17-years-old. Billion Smiles currently operates four different restaurant brands, all specialising in South Indian cuisine. These include the popular casual dining restaurants, South Indies and Bon South, and one fast food chain, UpSouth. Billion Smiles also runs a catering service. "On doing some research we found that South Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines pan India; It's the only Indian cuisine which can be had for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner; This makes it an ideal cuisine choice," explains Abhimanyu.

Today the company has seven outlets of their restaurants in Bangalore and Pune and is looking to double that number in the coming year. "I believe that entrepreneurs play a significant role in shaping the economy as they drive employment, consumption and can generate wealth. The journey of running your own business becomes all the more satisfying for me when I am reminded of the entrepreneur's role in shaping our country's future," adds Abhimanyu.

4) Pooja Ajmera, Teekhii ChhuriiKnives and paper are Ajmera's most prized possessions today. Using the two she designs unique paper artwork, with each design telling a different story. "After my MBA, I was working in a corporate company for about a year. But I was really bored and couldn't imagine pursuing the same dull role for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something on my own terms," says Ajmera, who started a craft website called Mad about Craft in 2012 which posted video tutorials of different art techniques. "I was looking for a platform to display my creativity. One day I made a present for my sister-in-law using an old art form called sanjhi. This involved designing and cutting art out of paper," she adds.

She launched Teekhii Chhurii in January this year, a onewoman show wherein Ajmera designs and cuts different pieces of paper and exhibits them around the country. "My customers reach me through word-of-mouth and various exhibitions. My goal is to revive this ancient art form with a contemporary makeover. So I design pieces with various modern themes such as food, love, environment, culture, music and dance," she says. Teekhii Chhurii has already been featured on numerous platforms such as Femina and Prismma to name a few. Currently Ajmera is the second person in the country to be working with sanjhi. "Sanjhi was traditionally used to create stencils that would then be used to design rangolis. My cutouts can be used for a variety of other things such as framed paintings or personalised gifts. The work requires a lot of patience and time but the final rewards are certainly worth it," explains Ajmera.

5) Faisal Khan, MotorbeamWhat started as a hobby during his college days eventually led Khan to his dream job, MotorBeam. "I started MotorBeam as a hobby website just to randomly ramble about cars and bikes. MotorBeam first started as a free blog on Blogger in 2007 with the username 'busas', named after my favourite motorcycle," explains Khan. Today MotorBeam is a daily updated automobile portal which contains the latest automobile news, car and bike reviews from the Indian automotive industry.

Obsessed with automobiles, Khan and his company cover everything related to two and four-wheelers including Indian car road tests, bike road tests, video reviews and car comparisons. "In 2008, I registered the domain name MotorBeam. In the last five years, I have dedicated nearly all my time to MotorBeam, even while doing my MBA from Symbiosis Pune. I have been actively involved in all the posts which go live, reading every comment and interacting with automobile enthusiasts who like me, eat, drink and sleep cars and bikes," adds Khan. The company has recently further expanded its base by starting various community forums and a monthly magazine. "After completing my MBA in 2012, I decided to work on MotorBeam fulltime," says Khan.

6) Rohan Kini, Bums On The SaddleTired of getting stuck in traffic jams on his way to work in Bangalore, Kini decided to ditch his car and start bicycling to work instead. "When I went to purchase a bike I was surprised to find the ignorance of salesmen and the lack of custom-made bikes," says Kini, who set up Bums on the Saddle, a bespoke bicycle shop, in Bangalore in 2011. "Bangalore is the biking capital of India not just because of the demand for two-wheelers but also because of the many green spaces and biking trails available in and around the city. Our idea was to help customers find the right bike, one which suits their body frame and requirements," adds Kini.

Bums on the Saddle not only sources custom bicycles for cycling enthusiasts and beginners but they also arrange frequent biking expeditions. "We often go on group bike rides to places around the city such as Banerghatta, Nandi and Turahalli. The rides are a lot of fun and offer some challenging riding terrains as well," says Kini. Having tied up with leading bike brands from around the world, there's certainly much to expect from Kini's company in the years ahead.

7) Rakesh Raghunanthan, PETAWrapWhen Raghunanthan returned home to Chennai from the US in 2009 with an MBA degree from the University of Hartford, he wanted to set up his own business. Realising that there was no fast-food Mexican outlets in the city, he launched PetaWrap, an auto-shaped kiosk selling healthy and delicious wraps. "Wraps are such a versatile dish. You can not only experiment with different fillings but they're also very convenient to eat on-the-go.

Our idea was to localise the Mexican wrap," explains Raghunanthan. From vada pav wrap to bhuna chicken wrap, from chicken manchurian wrap to spicy potato wrap, PetaWrap has expanded its menu to include flavours from every corner of India. "The key thing about starting your own company is to come up with a unique concept that will capture your customers' attention and meet their requirements. Add a lot of hard work, some luck and a great team to this and you'll have the basic recipe for success," adds Raghunanthan.8)Anaka Narayanan, Brass TacksAfter completing her degree in economics from Reed College in the US, Narayanan spent a few years working in New York city with NERA, an economic analysis firm. "As I explored New York I came across some brilliant fashion but I missed the fabrics from home. My mother ran a sari shop, so growing up I was surrounded by Indian textiles.

I realised I wanted clothes made out of Indian fabric but with modern silhouettes," reflects Narayanan. Despite having no formal qualifications in design, Narayanan moved back home to Chennai in 2006 and launched her own design label Brass Tacks. Today she manages a team of 25, designs every outfit herself and retails through Yellow Button Store in Bangalore and her own store in Chennai. "I am often inspired by moods and emotions. If I see a painting or a movie, I pick up on a theme for my clothes," adds Narayanan.

9)Ankit Anubhav, Breakup HelplineFed up of dealing with impersonal psychologists while going through a breakup in 2011, Anubhav decided to reinvent the relationship coaching space. He launched Breakuphelpline a year later, a service that helps people recover from heartbreaks. "When people are going through a bad phase, they just want to know that there's someone who cares. That's where we come in," says Anubhav.

From handwriting letters to a client in China who missed receiving snail mail from her ex to sending a set of comedy movies to a client who needed cheering up in Mumbai, the team at Breakuphelpline is available 24/7.

10) Jubin Mehta, GhoomakadFrom working as a writer with yourstory.in to co-founding Ghoomakad, a social venture that offers village homestays around Dharamsala, Mehta's tryst with entrepreneurship has been long and eventful. "I trained to be an engineer but entrepreneurship and startups have always interested me," says Mehta. Together with friends and fellow founders, Ayush Ghai and Mohinder, Mehta has now relocated to Dharamsala to work with Ghoomakad and its parent company, Mindgrep Technologies.

"Our goal is to help build sustainable villages through homestays, skill development and training and hackers space. Hackers space is our residency programme for techies and software enthusiasts who are looking to get away from the maddening city crowds. We provide them with safe and comfortable accommodation in Dharamsala where they can experiment with nature, society and technology. We recently held a hackthon heres in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation" adds Mehta.

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